John who had been leading his new team for about a year, came to me and said he wanted to be viewed by others as strategic. I asked him why it was important for him to be viewed as strategic? He said that his manager gave him feedback that he wasn’t being strategic enough and that he was still too focused on the details. His manager said that this was creating a perception that he didn’t have what it takes to be strategic.
I asked him to share what being strategic meant to him. He shared that people would see him as a big picture thinker, he would have a vision for his organization, build a strong team and be an influencer with his peers and management. I asked him what would prevent him from doing this today? He pondered for a few minutes before responding that he wasn’t sure where to begin. His conversation with his boss had given him doubts about whether he could be strategic and do what was expected.
I asked him to share an experience from the past where he had to learn something new that seemed challenging at first, but he kept at it and became good at it. He thought about it and shared an experience from his first job out of college. I asked him to go back to the moment in that situation when he didn’t have the knowledge of how to do it. What did you do first? He shared that he asked for help from some of his peers who helped him learn how to do it.
I said to him, so you have been through this type of situation before. Which one of the things on your list would be a good place to focus first and what actions would you take? He chose one of the choices from his list and shared the actions he would take first. I could see his energy change from a person with doubts, to a person who was excited to get started. He was confident with the actions he chose to focus on and he began to see how it could help him. We talked about the importance of consistency to shift perceptions and if he continued to focus on these actions, it would shift how people saw him.
Perceptions become reality quickly.
When someone gives you feedback, you have to decide what you will do with it and what actions you will or won’t take. John had big career aspirations and knew that this kind of perception would hurt his future promotions if he didn’t address it. He wanted a personal brand that showed people the kind of leader he knew he could be. Over the next year, John focused on being consistent with his actions so people would notice. His manager shared with him that he was seeing the change in John and would be able to recommend him for his next promotion.
Have you received feedback that may be hard to hear and could prevent you from reaching your career goals? What if you and I had a powerful conversation about your situation like I did with John and it shifted everything for you? Let me give you the gift of coaching so you can experience how it can help you. Here is the link to set up an hour with me: Schedule a coaching conversation Wouldn’t it be worth an hour of your time to help you move forward with new energy and motivation and have a plan in hand to address the feedback?